Summer Activities

With the weather warming up, it's so nice to see people out and about enjoying the sunshine here in the Twin Cities. People are canoeing, kayaking, golfing, running, biking, etc. in the great weather! I'm sure I have overlooked the favorite activities of many out there, but you get the idea. Spring and summer are the seasons so many of us look forward to when we don't have to bundle ourselves up from head to toe! As someone who is from WI, but spent the last 7 years in Atlanta, I know I've missed the sun and warmth that an outdoor activity provides without wearing multiple layers!

How are your outdoor activities feeling this year? Is your golf game not what it should be? What about the times on your runs...not quite setting any PRs? Are your arms or back stiff from rowing in your canoe or kayak?

Routine massage/bodywork can keep you performing your best throughout the summer season. Athletes of all sports can benefit from routine bodywork to help recover from injuries, but it's better if you never get injured in the first place. Just think how much more fun you can have this summer if you don't have to stop participating in your sport of choice. See what others have to say about massage for athletes, and get out there to enjoy this beautiful weather!
http://ezinearticles.com/?Treating-Athletes-Using-Massage-Therapy&id=917719

- Bonnie

Align Body - Relieve Pain - Improve Wellness - Enhance Performance

Congrats Green Bay! Donald Driver's High Ankle Sprain

Congratulations Green Bay Packers - Super Bowl XLV Champions! As a lifetime Packer fan, Super Bowl XLV was a nerve racking game to watch to say the least! I don't think I sat down the entire 2nd half...and I wasn't the only one in the room pacing! It's so nice knowing that the Lombardi Trophy will be back home in Green Bay later today. Local Green Bay schools are closing at noon today so the entire city can celebrate the victory.

The Packers endured injuries all year, and yesterday was no exception. Two key players left the game and were unable to return. Charles Woodson suffered a broken collarbone, and Donald Driver left the game with a high ankle or syndesmosis ligament sprain.

A high ankle sprain differs from one in which the ligaments surrounding the side of the ankle are sprained. A high ankle sprain is less common, and typically occurs in football, hockey and soccer players who are cutting quickly to the left and right. It occurs with an outward twisting of the foot.

A high ankle sprain occurs when the syndesmosis (set of ligaments above ankle that holds the tibia and fibula bones together) is sprained. These two bones run from the knee to the ankle. Treatment of a high ankle sprain requires that the ankle be restricted from movement. Movement, even walking, can continue to pull at the ligaments which is why immobilization is so important. A cast or boot is typically used to restrict motion for about 6 weeks if the sprain is considered "stable". If the sprain is "unstable", a screw can be inserted to hold the tibia and fibula together while the syndesmosis heals.

After the boot or cast is removed, massage therapy can be very useful in the continued healing process. When muscles and ligaments have been restricted, there will be adhesions and scar tissue around the syndesmosis. Muscles and tendons that run over the ankle joint (and there are A LOT of these) will be locked down. By utilizing massage, scar tissue can be broken up, and muscles and tendons that are stuck or adhered can be restored so they can function properly.

Many people who have had ankle sprains are bothered with pain and/or restriction for the rest of their lives. If you or someone you know has ever had a sprained ankle, know that with the proper rehabilitation, you can live without pain. The sooner you receive massage after a sprain, the quicker you will recover and the better the chance you'll gain full recovery.

- Bonnie
Align Body - Relieve Pain - Improve Wellness - Enhance Performance

Is It Time to Relax?

Summer is coming to an end as the kids go back to school here in Atlanta. What is top on your list of things to do once you have some "me-time" again? When is the last time you actually relaxed? Let me guess...is it those 5 minutes you have just before you fall asleep each night?

A little stress in your life is good. But chronic stress can cause a host of problems including health problems. This article goes into detail on stress...
Understanding Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects

Managing stress is a different recipe for each person. You have to find what works best for you. Many people find massage is a great way to relax and lower their stress levels. A massage can help even the most stressed out, frazzled person feel a little more like them self.

With a Craniosacral Therapeutic Massage, you can have your entire body "worked" by just having a scalp massage. Don't worry...the hair won't be messed up! Small, gentle movements are made on the bones of the head and face that help free up restrictions in the entire body! In addition to the somatic or body benefits, the relaxation of this type of work is just what the Doctor ordered. It is so relaxing, many of my clients fall asleep during this work. Here is an article with more info on Craniosacral Therapy.
http://www.spineuniverse.com/treatments/craniosacral-therapy

For the remainder of the month (August 2010), I am offering 3-90 minute Craniosacral Therapy sessions for only $70/session. That's less than $0.80/minute!! Call today to reserve your sessions and start relaxing!

Great Results with Integrated Massage Modalities

I wanted to share the great results of some work I did with a client last week. I have been incorporating a few basic craniosacral techniques into my sessions lately, and the improvement both my clients are I are seeing is very exciting. As I continue to perfect more techniques, I will add more into my sessions to provide more long lasting effects from the bodywork.

Now, onto my client story. This client has been scrubbing floors, cleaning out underneath bathroom counters (who doesn't need to do this??), and hauling boxed items up multiple flights of stairs. My body begins to hurt just listening to all the fun this client has been having lately!

My client complained of pain on the inside of the knee on her right leg, and very tight hamstrings. Her shoulders and upper back were also tight, but her main concern for the session were her legs and knee pain.

Initially, I spent a few minutes assessing her hamstrings. With the client lying flat on her back, I was able to raise her left leg to about an 80 degree angle before her knee starting buckling. Not great flexibility in her left hamstring, but her real problem was the right leg. When I raised the right leg, the knee started buckling at just under a 30 degree. Wow...was that possible? Lifting the leg just this little distance caused considerable pain in the inside of the clients' knee. I knew I had my work cut out for me.

Before I left the room and when the client was still fully clothed, we did a muscle energy technique (MET) for the hamstrings. In this procedure I asked my client to contract her hamstring against the light resistance I applied to her hamstring. This was repeated 3 times with the goal being to stretch the muscle further each time. We made a little progress with the MET, but there was a lot more work to do. I then left the room and the client got herself ready under the sheet and blanket.

We began the session with some very gentle and relaxing decompression techniques for the cranial bones (bones of the head) with the client facing up towards the ceiling. These techniques are used to help inner ear dysfunction, balance problems, headaches, distortion in the shoulder girdle, and pelvic distortions, just to name a few! I wanted to make sure the shoulder and back areas were addressed, as I wasn't sure how long the legs/knee work would take. By including the cranial decompression, I was hoping the muscles around the shoulder joint and upper back would start releasing before I got around to working on those areas.

After about 20 - 30 minutes working on the cranial bones, I spent a few minutes releasing the shoulder joint and elbow joint (the client's forearms were SO tight and she didn't even mention this during our pre-session interview). The forearms loosened nicely with these moves and a few minutes of additional bodywork.

Next, I asked the client to turn over so she was laying on her stomach. It was now time to relax the hamstrings. I performed some friction on the ischial tuberosity (the "sitting" bones) and the lower attachments of the hamstrings around the knee. After I felt the attachments of the hamstrings release or soften, I performed some light gliding strokes up the bellies of the hamstrings. How odd...the bellies felt pretty good without the taut bands of muscle I was expecting. The client also noted there was only minimal discomfort over most of the hamstring. We did spend some time on a few trigger points in the hammies and also in the gluteals that released pretty easily.

At about 1 hour 10 minutes into our session, I finally reached the shoulders and back of my client. I felt we had made great progress on the hamstrings and knee since there was no longer any client discomfort during the massage. Once again, I was amazed with how good the shoulder and back muscles felt before even starting to work in the area. The cranial decompression and shoulder joint mobilization performed at the onset of our session released the muscles before I even touched the bellies of the muscles. I was able to finish up the session performing more of a relaxing session as our real work was done.

After the 90 minute session was complete, we re-assessed the hamstrings. Now the left leg reached just under a 90 degree angle...not bad as it moved from around 80 degrees to 90. What amazed both of us was that the right leg (remember, it was under a 30 degree angle when first assessed), was now at 90 degrees also! The hamstring had lengthened considerably in the 90 minute session.

I'm really excited about continuing to include more craniosacral techniques into my sessions, especially if they're going to give my clients these kind of results. Not only did my client have no pain in her knee immediately following her session, her hamstrings didn't feel tight to her, her shoulder and back pain diminished and her forearms were ready to do some more cleaning! I followed up with my client the next day. She said she took an epsom salt bath that night and woke up feeling great...still no knee pain!

In addition to the craniosacral work I did on this client, I included sports massage (MET's), neuromuscular therapy and swedish massage for a fully integrated session.